Before and After, a Virtual Housewarming Party

So, I kind of skipped the part of the story when we moved out of the trailer and into our cabin and went right into filling our pasture with livestock (kind of).  Things have settled down a bit (enough to slip in a little update, at least).  And now... welcome to our housewarming party.  We are going to jump back in time periodically so we can fully appreciate the transformation this tiny cabin underwent.  Before we start, let it me known that we used the cheapest materials we could find.  Because my husband has impeccable taste, it's safe to say things came together quite nicely.  Let's start at my favorite part of the house.  Remember this kitchen?

Well now it looks like this:

We kept the cabinets, painted them, and used new hardware.  Can you believe what a transformation that makes?  And the counter tops?  It's not granite.  Formica has come a long, long way.  As you can see, it is a working kitchen, and this is about as clean as it gets.

Next, let's move over to the dining area and the laundry room being built.  That window was added because there is a great view of a favorite peak of ours that can be seen through there.

And now...

We hung some curtains in front of the laundry/storage/utility area

because the laundry/storage/utility area looks like this:

How about the hot husband, er, bathroom?

And now (although there are aspects of the last picture I like far better than the new one *cat calls*):

If you have been noticing some unfinished aspects of the cabin, that is because there are some unfinished aspects about the cabin.  It's still a work in progress.

This was our bedroom,

And now this is our bedroom.  Only there is currently a bed in it.  This picture is a few weeks old.

The kids' room before:

and the kids' room today.

Lastly, the living room.  Then...

Now.

Do you want to know the most amazing part of this story?  We didn't just get here by living in a fifth-wheel for eight months.  There would be no way we would be living out our dreams on this little five-acre piece of earth without the tremendous gifts of encouragement and support by dear family and friends who stood by us and selflessly (and unexpectedly) invested into us financially and with hours of skilled labor.  We so feel our Father's amazing, graceful love towards us through the outrageously wonderful people he has placed in our lives.  This place is dedicated to His good pleasure.  We welcome Him here.  We open our hearts and homestead to His perfect plans.

Read the archives of this story here.

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday.

A Quickie Hello

Well, we have no internet down at the trailer, so I'm up at the house, in the car (where the air is breathable without a mask), posting a lil' update.

So, in raw, iPhone footage, the story continues...

Our Christmas tree joins us in patiently waiting for a home...

that has new framing,

and even new drywall and windows,

and two new French doors so we can see our mountains,

and for the first time, this home has a bathtub...

that has been tiled in!

Our kitchen cabinet doors hang in the barn where they get primed, painted, and will dry,

and along with several amazing friends who have spent countless hours helping us, Jeremy has mudded, textured, and even primed.

As we speak, we are choosing the final colors!

Painting begins tomorrow, and moving day is Saturday.  Be still my heart.

~Read the archives of this journey here.~

Closed!

After the discouraging news of our escrow possibly being delayed until the beginning of December, we received a most surprising call on this Thanksgiving Eve, and were asked to drive to the ranch to claim our keys.  It was a regular Thanksgiving miracle!  Upon driving up to our new home, our eyes beheld the most spectacular housewarming gifts:

and

We looked outside from new windows,

discovered new hiding places,

uncovered a little 1960's goodness,

and officially.  Closed.  Escrow.

Happy Thanksgiving

~Read the archives of this journey here.~

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday.

Late Harvest Fruit Medley Crisp ~ A Recipe

I planned on blogging about being at our new ranch by now.  Only problem is... we have yet to close escrow.  There are no words.  Actually, there are, but instead of emotionally vomiting all over my dear readers, I'm going to share a recipe.  A sweet-ish one, of course.  That's what I do while in transition, remember?  Hey, at least the grains are soaked this time, emitting that crucial enzyme that enables you to absorb the nutrients in the dish instead of letting that pesky phytic acid leach nutrients from our bodies.  I love the perfectly late-autumn colors in this dish, and the spices used just taste like the season.  Step into the kitchen with me, will you?  But.. sorry.  Please sit on one of the kids' futons over there.  There isn't room for two of us behind the sink.  Get ready for healthy comfort food.  I've been ready allllll day.  Every day.

Late Harvest Fruit Medley Crisp

Prep time: 30 minutes; Bake time: 30 minutes; Serves 8-10

2 cups oats

2 cups water

3 Tablespoons cultured dairy (kefir, buttermilk, whey)

1 cup cranberries

1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 apples (tart ones are best in this recipe), sliced (and peeled, if desired)

2 pears, sliced (no need to peel; pear skin is thin)

2 persimmons, peeled and sliced

1 cup rapadura

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon clove powder

2/3 cup butter or expeller pressed coconut oil (doesn't taste like coconuts), softened.

1. If you plan on making this as an after dinner dessert, in the morning, combine the oats, water, and cultured dairy in a bowl.  Cover and let soak 4-8 hours (the longer, the better).
2. Once you are ready to prepare this dish, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 9x13-inch pan.
3. Combine cranberries and dates in saucepan and cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, set aside.
4. Place apples, pears, and persimmons in greased 9x13-inch pan.  Evenly spoon cranberry mixture over fruit.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine oats with remaining ingredients thoroughly.  Sprinkle over fruit.  Bake 30 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is a little brown(er).  Serve warm by itself or with ice cream. (And I will shamelessly add that the leftovers make the most delightful breaky.)

~Browse more riddlelove recipes here.~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday.

A Season Ends

We gathered walnuts today.

Walnuts are the last harvest we bring in before everything rests for the winter.

One season ends, another one begins.  In eight days, a new season begins for us.  As much as I can hardly wait to get my hands on our little ranch, leaving this season in the trailer is actually bittersweet.  We'll miss seeing our amazing mountain friends every day.  Going from one good time into another is a happy problem.  As I begin to let go of one season, I embrace the other.  We'll have walnuts aplenty from the season before to enjoy along the way.

And walnut shells will make great kindling for the wood stove that sits in the center of our little cabin that will keep us snug.

 ~Read the archives of this journey here.~

Counting Down Again

In 13 days, we will be the new owners of a mini ranch.  Pinch me!  It still feels so surreal.  This is something I've dreamt of for as long as I can remember.  We visited our future home again today, and I was reminded of the amount of love it needs.  We are going to be in the best shape of our lives, that's what.  But someday, someday there really will be sheep.

And there really will be horses.

And there really will be grapes, orchards, garden beds, chickens, ranch dogs, and mouser cats.

And there will be room or my children to romp and get filthy and learn about life through this gorgeous countryside.  And we will look up and see how massively powerful and creative and artistic our Father is, and we find our spirits at peace, knowing that He is God, that He has entrusted this beautiful creation to our hands and hearts to steward, and we are filled with thankfulness.

In 13 days, we will still be living in the trailer as we prepare the little cabin to be suitable for living in, but it will be ours.  Our homestead.  I'm still so amazed.

 ~Read the archives of this journey here.~

I'm sharing this at Gratituesday & Simple Lives Thursday

A Day in the Trailer

It's been a while since I've shared about life in the trailer.  Several friends have expressed interest in what a day in the life of a family of six living in a fifth-wheel looks like.  This is what it looks like:

The alarm on my phone quietly sounds, loud enough to get my eyes open but muffled enough to keep four little pairs of eyes closed.

The pocket door to separate our little room from the rest of the trailer rolls shut and I get some reading in before those four little pairs of eyes begin to open.

Everyone's up.  A thick layer of dew is on the windows, but the sun is out for the first time in a week!  It's time to fold the blankets, stuff the bedding in the cabinets above the table, and fold four small beds back into four small chairs.

Music is on now.  Today, we started off with Narnia and The Lord of the Rings soundtracks mixed with some Misty Edwards.  Ear candy.  It was quite the tasty mixture.

Breakfast time.  While Jer and the kids finish putting the bedding away, I scramble some cheesy eggs, slice the last of the season's cherry tomatoes, and cut wedges of zucchini bread I made the night before.

Tea is steeping for everyone: herbal orange spice for the children and strong Irish Breakfast for Jer and I.

Breakfast is eaten, dishes taken to the sink, teeth and hair brushed, and the kids chomp by the door to get some of that warm sun.  Out they go, to bounce on the soggy trampoline.

I finish breakfast clean-up and remember to start some sourdough.

Kids are called in and lessons begin.

6 and 8-year-olds race to see who can finish their math lessons first while I teach 5-year-old a reading lesson while 2-year-old listens in (she's catching on and it's crazy to watch).

Math, writing, grammar, spelling, history, and phonics today.  Done and done.

Lunchtime.  Smoothies and sandwiches are on the menu.

We chat about what everyone learned today, everyone's done eating before I know it, and it's time to scrub more dishes.

Mom can we pleeeease go outside now?

Oh yes.  Please do.

Out they romp with their neighbor friends.  I stay inside to prepare for tomorrow's lessons and form two loaves of sourdough that's been rising all day.  It won't be ready for dinner; I started it too late.  Oops.

I step outside and have a nice chat with my neighbor friend before heading into their house to get my laundry.

Back into the trailer.

Fold, fold, fold.  Hang, stuff, quickly shut cabinet doors before something spills out.

I blink twice and it's time to make dinner.  Wha?!

Kids reluctantly come inside, clean up, and have some quiet time.  It's cool outside now, but the trailer warms up and begins to smell like food.  Stuffed acorn squash, parmesan basil sourdough bread from a friend, and raw apple sauce with lots of cinnamon is carried over next door to share with our sweet neighbors.  

Children scarf it down as fast as they can to get one last play in with friends while parents try to steal a few minutes to connect and chat a little.

I shove the sourdough loaves in the oven.

Nighttime routines commence.

Baths begin, dishes get scrubbed while I dream of having a dishwasher again, floors are vacuumed, and the chairs unfold back into beds.

I pull the less-than-pretty loaves out of the tiny oven.  You can definitely tell they were done in a hurry, but they'll work just fine for tomorrow's French toast and sandwiches.

8-year-old reads the Toddler Bible to 2-year-old while 6-year-old works on his war drawing and 5-year-old narrates her day like the book we just read, and I giggle and feel warm inside, even in this tiny trailer.

Jer and I do devotions with the kids, we pray, we sing the goodnight song, give the day's last hugs and kisses, and shut the pocket door to our little nook of a bedroom.

He researches appliances for our cabin, I blog.

And now.... Well, that's all you need to know.

Goodnight, world!

 ~Read the archives of this journey here.~

I'm sharing this at Gratituesday.

A Peek Inside the Cabin

We visited our future home today.  It was a perfect day for it, and we could clearly see our favorite peaks.  Here is one of them.  Boy, will it sing after the first couple of snows!

 So...  I showed you the mini ranch part of our new homestead.  Are you ready to take a look inside the soon-to-be ours cabin?  Vision goggles activated?  Okay...  Here's our kitchen.

 May I remind you these are very much before pictures?  After shots to follow once we get our hands on it.

And here's the crazy couple who are in the process of purchasing this piece of work (groovy mirrors included).

That's all I can bear to show you for today. Let's go back outside, shall we?  It's getting hotter and mustier in here.

Look!  We discovered a pomegranate tree.  I always wanted a pomegranate tree.  It needs lots of love.  Come to mama.

 ~Read the archives of this journey here.~

I'm sharing this at Gratituesday.

A New Chapter ~ Stepping Into A Dream

**If you are unfamiliar with our story, we have lived in a trailer since late April. Find out why here and this post will make much more sense.**

It is happening. Way earlier than expected. Like, half a year earlier, thanks to a mind-blowingly generous gift we received to slice our debt load almost in half. Let me try to compose myself... OK. Here goes:

WE ARE IN ESCROW!!!

We are in the process of purchasing a mini ranch that needs people with love and vision. Pick us! Pick us! Oh wait, it did! And the mortgage? It will be less than what we paid every month for rent.

This is so much more than purchasing a home, although that within itself is massive. We're stepping into a lifelong dream. We're about to embrace a lifestyle we've wanted since forever. A lifestyle of sustainability. A lifestyle more connected with creation and where our food comes from. There will be lots of dirty faces, sweat, and grunts. There will be hard work, patience, growth, harvests, accomplishments, tending, nurturing, raising, feeding, pruning, training, building, loving, and resting. I'm not just talking about the land. I simply couldn't be more giddy. It's almost too hard to sit and type right now. Someone give me a shovel!

I could hardly wait to give you a little tour. If you will, slip your most polished pair of vision goggles on and come with me.

This is one of my favorite spots. I love stone walls, especially when moss is growing along it. It feels ancient. This is where many thoughts will be thought, quiet times will be had, books read, pictures drawn, blogs written, and whispers shared.

We even have our own child-sized rock wall. Train them up in the way they should go...

We have wanted to grow grapes for years. Look! An empty slope! Hello, my table grape vineyard.

And barns? Why yes. We have two. Both need love. We have plenty of that. Here's a peek into the big barn:

The other is a horse barn.

Let's not forget pastures. There are three of those.

Also, I want sheep.

Do you know what? There is room to spare. For chickens, sheep dogs, dairy cats, and beyond.

All-in-all, it figures out as about five acres.

You might have noticed there are no pictures of the cabin. It sits atop a little hill where a view of mountain peeks can be enjoyed; two of our favorite, to be exact. We'll get to the cabin another time soon. Make sure you don't lose your best vision goggles for that one. You might want to polish them with Windex first. It's one thousand square feet. That's a great upgrade from our 250 square-foot trailer. When money comes in, it will be demolished and a new home will be built. In the meantime, the cottage will get new paint and floors before we move in. Just keep that in mind when I show it to you.

Excuse me while I give a little scream and do a happy dance. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

~Read the archives of this journey here.~

This is a contributing link to Simple Lives Thursday, Gratituesday, Making Your Home Sing, & Farm Friend Friday.